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It’s not everyday that the world’s biggest chef turns up at the world’s biggest internet company but that happened this lunchtime at the high tech canteen in Google’s offices in Victoria, South West London.

Dishes, prepared by Google’s kitchen staff, came from Phaidon’s The Family Meal (the meal formerly served to elBulli employees at 6 o’clock each day). They included saffron and spinach risotto with mushrooms, sesame crusted sardines with grilled baby gem and carrot salad and red mullet with vinaigrette and herbed potato salad.

Bread and parcels of wheatgrass and parma ham from Ferran Adrià's The Family Meal

And at 12 o'clock Ferran Adrià turned up to give staff a hand serving them up. The queue had started to form outside at 11.15 when word got round that the chef was in the building. Juan Silveira, a software engineer working on Google Maps, was first in line.

“I’ve heard and read about his food. I have a friend from Barcelona who says he’s been there and that it was fantastic. So I’m keen to try it,” he told Phaidon. “I don’t know what the menu is but the wheatgrass and ham looks very nice. Really, it all looks very good. This café is actually always popular cos it generally has the best food in the office and the queue is usually very long. But we expect people to come here around 12 so I’m trying to escape the queue!”

Terrines and cakes from Ferran Adrià's The Family Meal

Ferran was due to give a talk to Google staff later in the day about his elBulli Foundation before heading off to the US to begin an American tour which kicks off in Chicago tomorrow. Full dates below: